How Are Sinusitis And Asthma Treated
Treatment is important in preventing sinusitis from worsening. Again, since the conditions are linked, treating sinusitis may have the added benefit of improving your asthma symptoms.
If you have sinusitis and asthma, your health care provider might recommend that you use:
- Steroid nasal sprays to reduce the swelling easing the inflammation might allow the sinuses to drain normally.
- Decongestant or antihistamine medicines
Always ask your health care provider before using nasal spray . Overuse can lead to more congestion. You might try spraying warm salt water into the nose, or breathing in steam.
If a secondary bacterial infection has developed in your sinuses, you’ll need antibiotics. Your health care provider will probably prescribe them for about 10 to 14 days. Just remember that antibiotics will only work in cases of bacterial infection. They will not help with viruses. Also, you need to follow your health care provider’s instructions and take all your antibiotic medicine, even if you start feeling better after a few days.
For people with allergies, controlling exposure to allergens is key. Not only will it reduce your asthma symptoms, but it will also reduce your risk of sinus infections. Avoid any allergic triggers and irritants, like cigarette smoke. You can also ask your health care provider if allergy shots might be helpful.
How Is Asthma Treated
Take your medicine exactly as your doctor tells you and stay away from things that can trigger an attack to control your asthma.
Everyone with asthma does not take the same medicine.
You can breathe in some medicines and take other medicines as a pill. Asthma medicines come in two typesquick-relief and long-term control. Quick-relief medicines control the symptoms of an asthma attack. If you need to use your quick-relief medicines more and more, visit your doctor to see if you need a different medicine. Long-term control medicines help you have fewer and milder attacks, but they dont help you while you are having an asthma attack.
Asthma medicines can have side effects, but most side effects are mild and soon go away. Ask your doctor about the side effects of your medicines.
Remember you can control your asthma. With your doctors help, make your own asthma action plan. Decide who should have a copy of your plan and where he or she should keep it. Take your long-term control medicine even when you dont have symptoms.
What Are The Different Lung Function Tests For Asthma
There are several lung function tests for asthma. The most common include:
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Tips For When You Dont Have An Inhaler
Mild to moderate asthma attacks can occur at inopportune times. You may be able to manage your asthma more effectively with these tips. If these dont work CALL AN AMBULANCE.
How Can You Tell If You Have Asthma
It can be hard to tell if someone has asthma, especially in children under age 5. Having a doctor check how well your lungs work and check for allergies can help you find out if you have asthma.
During a checkup, a doctor will ask if you cough a lot, especially at night. He or she will also ask whether your breathing problems are worse after physical activity or at certain times of year. The doctor will then ask about chest tightness, wheezing, and colds lasting more than 10 days. He or she will ask whether anyone in your family has or has had asthma, allergies, or other breathing problems. Finally, the doctor will ask questions about your home and whether you have missed school or work or have trouble doing certain things.
The doctor may also do a breathing test, called spirometry, to find out how well your lungs are working by testing how much air you can breathe out after taking a very deep breath before and after you use asthma medicine.
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What Does Asthma Feel Like
Asthma is characterized by inflammation of the bronchial tubes with increased production of sticky secretions inside the tubes. People with asthma experience symptoms when the airways tighten, inflame, or fill with mucus. Common asthma symptoms include:
- Coughing, especially at night
- Shortness of breath
- Chest tightness, pain, or pressure
Still, not every person with asthma has the same symptoms in the same way. You may not have all of these symptoms, or you may have different symptoms at different times. Your asthma symptoms may also vary from one asthma attack to the next, being mild during one and severe during another.
Some people with asthma may go for extended periods without having any symptoms, interrupted by periodic worsening of their symptoms called asthma attacks. Others might have asthma symptoms every day. In addition, some people may only have asthma during exercise, or asthma with viral infections like colds.
Mild asthma attacks are generally more common. Usually, the airways open up within a few minutes to a few hours. Severe attacks are less common but last longer and require immediate medical help. It is important to recognize and treat even mild asthma symptoms to help you prevent severe episodes and keep asthma under better control.
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When To See A Specialist About Your Asthma
Asthma is not always easy to diagnose, Fineman says, but you should see your doctor if youre having repeated episodes of wheezing and coughing or shortness of breath. If you’re diagnosed with the condition, work with your doctor to develop an asthma management and action plan.
Although your primary care doctor may be able to diagnose and treat your asthma, if your symptoms dont respond to a first-line therapy of inhaled corticosteroids and short-acting bronchodilators, Asciuto recommends that you see a lung specialist or allergy and asthma specialist.
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What Is An Asthma Attack
An asthma attack occurs when excess mucus clogs your air tubes, making it hard to breathe. Asthma attacks can be mild, moderate or severe. Even if you have mild symptoms, its important to see your physician. Asthma can permanently damage your lungs if untreated even if you dont have any trouble breathing.
An asthma attack occurs when excess mucus clogs your air tubes, making it hard to breathe.
To protect your health, its smart to know and recognize the most common signs of an asthma attack. Symptoms include:
Dr. Alappatt talks about the symptoms of asthma in adults and children.
Click play to watch the video or read video transcript.
What is asthma?
Signs Of Asthma Absolutely Everyone Should Know
You might think you know the signs of asthma because hey, it seems like one of those health conditions that is absolutely unmistakable. Its kind of obvious if you justcant really breathe, right? Sure, but asthma symptoms can present with a lot more complexity and subtlety than that. Many people do not realize they have asthma and deal with daily symptoms, Purvi Parikh, M.D., an allergist and immunologist with Allergy & Asthma Network, tells SELF. Because of that, you should be aware of the signs of asthma so you dont write them off for months or even years without realizing you have this persistentand ultimately treatablehealth condition.
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How To Tell If You Have Asthma
Asthma is a respiratory condition caused by inflammation and constriction of the airways. Its a long-term condition that requires lifelong management and treatment to help prevent symptoms and reduce your chances of having an asthma attack.
But how do you know for sure if you have asthma? If youre experiencing a cough or shortness of breath, learn what differentiates asthma from other respiratory conditions and how a doctor can confirm a diagnosis, so you can get the right treatment for your symptoms.
Occupational Asthma Is Triggered By An Irritant Youre Exposed To At Work
If your asthma started when you changed jobs, improves when youre away from your work environment, or is triggered by chemicals that make it difficult to breathe, then you may be suffering from occupational asthma.
Occupational factors are associated with up to 15 percent of disabling asthma cases in the United States. An estimated 11 million workers in a wide range of industries are exposed to at least one of the numerous agents known to be associated with occupational asthma.
More than 250 manufacturing substances have been known to exacerbate occupational asthma, such as:
- Paints
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Asthma Symptoms May Lead To Fatigue
Response from Lyn Harper, MPA, BSRT, RRT:
Yes! A person may be fatigued from the strain caused by labored breathing and shortness of breath. Quite simply, being unable to catch your breath is exhausting! However, you may also experience fatigue from lack of sleep due to other asthma symptoms coughing, anxiety, and shortness of breath. Fatigue is also a symptom of oxygen levels in the blood being low, which can happen when were experiencing an exacerbation of symptoms.2
Response from John Bottrell, RRT:
Asthma affects every asthmatic differently. For some of us, feeling tired is an early warning symptom. When you feel it, you know it’s time to take swift actions to prevent a full-fledged asthma attack. This is true even when you have controlled asthma.
Fatigue may be more common when asthma is poorly controlled. In such cases, asthma can affect your sleep. And, just feeling short of breath can make you feel tired, even exhausted. So, it’s always a good idea to pay attention to what your body is saying earlier rather than later.2
The earlier you take action the easier it is to reverse this and other symptoms, so you can feel normal once again. It’s also a good idea to work with your doctor to develop a daily treatment regimen so you don’t feel this symptom very often. Plus, it’s also a good idea to work with your doctor on developing a plan so you know what to do when you feel this and other asthma symptoms.
What Are The Symptoms Of Asthma
Wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath are among the most common asthma symptoms. In severe flare-ups, you may also feel tightness in your chest.
Unlike other respiratory conditions, asthma symptoms tend to flare up when youre exposed to triggers, such as:
- allergens that irritate the airways and cause inflammation
- exercise that can put stress on the airways and lead to inflammation
- cold weather conditions that constrict the airways
Symptoms also tend to get worse when youre trying to sleep at night.
Asthma refers to airway constriction and inflammation, but there are also different subtypes to consider.
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Question : Do Your Symptoms Feel Worse After You Exercise
You answered yes.
You answered no.
- When we exercise, we all breathe more quickly and deeper than normal. In asthmatics, a reaction can be triggered when breathing in cold or dry air, leading to a narrowing of the airways.
- If youre exercising outside, you are additionally more susceptible to breathing in other irritants, such as pollen, exhaust fumes or dust.
Keep Your Symptoms Under Control
- Monitoring your symptoms and checking your airways with a peak flow meter will help you manage asthma better. This should help reduce fatigue. Peak flow meters are hand-held devices that measure your ability to push air out of your lungs.
- Take your medications as directed, and always have a rescue inhaler nearby.
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What Are The Complications Of Asthma
Poorly-controlled asthma can have a negative effect on your quality of life. Complications may include:
- being less productive at work or while studying
- an inability to exercise and be physically active
- reduced lung function
- poor mental health
Taking your medications exactly as prescribed is important. If you feel that your asthma is affecting your quality of life, contact your doctor for a medicines review.
How Do I Handle An Asthma Flare
If you feel like a flare-up is about to happen, stay calm. Let people around you know what’s going on. Then remember your asthma action plan. That’s the written plan that tells you what to do next.
Stay calm and focus on what your asthma action plan says. Your doctor probably told you to use your quick-relief medicine, so do that first.
If you can figure out what triggered your symptoms , remove the trigger or yourself from the area. Sometimes that’s all you need to get your asthma under control again.
If a flare-up is more severe, you might need to get help.
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The Role Of Eosinophilic Immune Dysfunction In Eosinophilic Asthma
Eosinophils are key effector cells in eosinophilic asthma, where immune system dysfunction leads to eosinophilic inflammation in the airway tissue.6,7
Increasing eosinophil levels in the airway are associated with increasing severity of asthma.8
Eosinophilic asthma patients are at risk of more frequent exacerbations, poorer asthma control, and lower lung function.9-11
Eosinophilic inflammation in the airway tissue12-14
In eosinophilic asthma, immune cells catalyzed by allergic or nonallergic triggers can lead to the production of various cytokines. The cytokines produced by these cells can contribute to the recruitment, activation, and survival of eosinophils.10,15-17
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How Common Is Chest Tightness In People With Asthma
In the emergency department survey of people with asthma, 91% reported feeling chest tightness.3 Chest pain was less common. It occurred in about 76% of people.
Asthma-related chest tightness often occurs during exercise or at night.2 If your history and physical exam suggest that you have asthma, your provider may ask you to do spirometry to confirm the diagnosis. Spirometry is an important lung function test to evaluate how much and how quickly you can exhale air. The test is usually done before and after taking a medication that opens the airways . Asthma is likely if medications are able to open the airways.
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Warning Signs Of An Asthma Emergency
Some warning signs of asthma are more serious. They include:
- Symptoms that keep getting worse, even with treatment
- Difficulty catching your breath or talking
- Sucking in your chest or stomach with each breath
- Trouble walking
- A bluish or grayish tinge to your lips or fingernails
- Flaring your nostrils as you breathe
If you have any of these asthma symptoms, call 911.
Breathe Easier Baptist Health Is Here To Help
If you suspect that you have eosinophilic asthma, see your Baptist Health primary care physician or allergy specialist. He or she can determine the true nature and extent of your condition, and make recommendations for dealing with it. If your symptoms are severe, call 911 or seek emergency medical care.
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What Asthma Treatment Options Are There
You have options to help manage your asthma. Your healthcare provider may prescribe medications to control symptoms. These include:
- Anti-inflammatory medicines: These medicines reduce swelling and mucus production in your airways. They make it easier for air to enter and exit your lungs. Your healthcare provider may prescribe them to take every day to control or prevent your symptoms.
- Bronchodilators: These medicines relax the muscles around your airways. The relaxed muscles let the airways move air. They also let mucus move more easily through the airways. These medicines relieve your symptoms when they happen.
- Biologic therapies for asthma when symptoms persist despite being on proper inhaler therapy.
You can take asthma medicines in several different ways. You may breathe in the medicines using a metered-dose inhaler, nebulizer or other inhaler. Your healthcare provider may prescribe oral medications that you swallow.
New Medications Are Available To Treat Eosinophilic Asthma
Standard treatments for asthma include long-term controller medications and rescue medications that you use when your symptoms flare up. If these medications arent enough to control your asthma, your doctor may prescribe newer medications called biologics, which target specific molecules involved in the action of eosinophils to help lower eosinophil levels and reduce inflammation. Mepolizumab and reslizumab are antibodies against interleukin 5 molecules benralizumab is an antibody against the IL-5-receptor-alpha-chain. These drugs are delivered by injection or infusion at your doctorâs office. This treatment doesnt necessarily eliminate attacks or exacerbations, but in some people it does, and in other people it reduces them dramatically, says Wechsler.
Talk to your doctor about the treatment plan thatâs right for you.
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